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inwV3 jvjiwtrytv . ..t -- .( j. - .t-i V " iVOpinionrtfW 'Optimist4.Volume 77 Number 33 Pago 2Friday January 27 1989lKUS-1 1 ""qNUetW J . -Trip something special for small passengers"Joy Bus ride the Joy Bus. Whatkinds of kids ride the Joy Bus? Fat kidsskinny kids kids with golden locks tallkids short kids even kids with purplesocks. Ride the Joy Bus ride the JoyBus the bus kids love to ride" onemore time "the bus bus kids kidslove to ride."As the ycllow-and-brown bus roughlycrawls down the neighborhood streetsthe song is sung at the top of 20children's voices. They sing with suchenthusiasm that other travelers and pe-destrians look even though they maynot understand.And because the song is sung somuch the words are muddled. Itsounds like one long word and peoplewho do not know the song can't makeout the words.The song is one of the children'sOptimistKwvwth n. Pybut Editor In CMIRebekah Olbba Wednesday Edition EditorTom Craig Friday Edition EditorCindy Leeper Opinion EditorMary Banka Sporta EditorJulia FNzpatrtck Faaturaa EditorKanny Jonaa Chief PhotographerJuOa Stlgtra Wadnaaday Assignments EditorDlaka Dunnavant Friday Aaalgnmanta EditorLaura Morgan Managing News EditorKavki Martha! QraphlcaDMlgn EditorQratchan 8chuttt Copy Flow EditorJohn Paul Brownlow Staff PhotographarWandy Hornbakar Staff PhotographarTarn Waal Wadnaaday Copy EditorAmanda Applaton Friday Copy EditorDawn EKzabeth Traat Aaaociata Sporta EditorLord Huntar Faatura WritarDr. Charlaa H. Martar AdvtaarDonna Sautharland Advartlalng DlractorEric McMlsan Ad Production ManagarFrill Millar Ad Production ManagerSharia SmaMng Ad SaJaaHotty Howard Ad SalaaRoy Cada Whoa Circulation DlractorSherri Westerman Clasalflad Ad ManagarJaff Shotwa Ctaaalnad Ad SalaaTha OpUmtat toundad In 1912 la publlahed eemMrreek-ry except during tha aunvnar vacattona and final anamlna-tiona by atudanta In tha Joumallam and Maaa Communica-tion Department of Abilene Chrietlan Unrveralty AbileneTexaa 79889.Editorial opinions appearing In tha Optimist are views ofthe editorial board and do not necessarily reflect tha of-ficial policy of tha ACU administration and aigned columnsand cartoons represent tha Individual views of tha authorsALF meritssuction cupnot GarfieldPoor Garfield.He's suction-cupped to AmericaPinned to the inside of a car windowscreaming for air. People park their carsand walk away from him without somuch as a backward glance.It makes a person wonder what kindof detached lives these people lead.Why Garfield anyway?If anybody deserves such a tormentedposition it's ALF. Talk about worth-less. The voice alone of this so-calledalien creature is enough to pluck at thenerves of the most mild-mannered per-son. Or how about Miss Piggy? What awhiner. She could stand to hang andsweat for a few days without food.Whoever decided to distributesuction-cupped Garfields to easily in-fluenced followers has nothing to beproud of. Who knows what this type ofruthless character has in mind next.Some say it's the same guy who in-vented the ant farm.Perhaps he's also responsible for thewhole Pet Rock concept as well. Itseems just about anything this guy cangrab and imprison is fair game for sell-ing. And as long as folks keep buyingGarfields for mounting Garfields willbe mounted. Until somebody suggestssomething better to hang.It wasn't enough to dangle littleyellow cards with little silly sayingslike "Wife in Trunk" and "Flirt onBoard." Americans could not besatisfied with words alone.The whole crazy situation is kind of areflection of our society in general wewant to see all the bloody stuff not justread about it.It may be a bit far-fetched but thethought of what these hanging Gar-fields could lead to is somewhat scary.An innocent member of our socialsystem being punished for no apparentreason.Set Garfield free and stick somethingto your windows that deserves to hang.ALF.Julie Stigers KfBIsVHsHHHsNsHsisaiKsHataHieHfavorites. But then again so arc all theother songs. "I've been Redeemed"must be sung at least twice on the wayto Bible class and on the return trip.When "I Want to See" is sung eachbus rider must be named so he willknow that all the other riders want himin Heaven with them.Something special can be seen inthese children. They aren't just run-of-the-millchildren. Their eyes sparkleand they smile even when others maythink they have nothing to be happyabout.The bus pulls up to the first rider'shouse. It isn't your ordinary house.Two old cars arc out front. One is miss-ing two tires and is jacked up on oneside. A person wonders if the other oneeven runs.The yard is not landscaped like theOfV'-litt 6TT: :mjgglSSSSSlSW7 i.- 3ISCC pledge recommendationsworth administrative examinationThe Inter-Social Club Council hastaken a step toward compromise bysubmitting a list of six proposals tothe administration in an attempt tokeep the official fall pledge period atsix weeks.Though some of the proposalscould be improved and othersdropped accepting them and leavingthe pledge period at six weeks wouldbest serve all involved.The faculty and administration'smajor concerns with the presentpledge period are its sometimeslethal effect on pledges' grade pointaverages and the damage to schoolfacilities caused by club activities.Because ACU is a learning institu-tion first and a social institution sec-ond the deans have a definite rightto be concerned with the academicwelfare of students club pledges ornot. They also have a definite rightto protect school property.To reduce these problems someprofessors and administrators havesuggested two- or three-week pledgeperiods. However limiting thelength of the pledge period couldalso limit its usefulness.The pledge period exists to in-struct pledges about their club toform a loyalty to the club and to in-troduce the pledges to clubmembers.A two- or three-week period mightwork for the instructional purposebut would fail in the other two pur-poses. Forming an emotional bond with asocial club requires longer than afew weeks. Even with the presentperiod new club members oftendrift away and do not participate inclub activities for months at a timebecause they have not developed aclub loyalty. That problem would becompounded by a shortened pledgeperiod.-tf fcM r I fRebekah Gibbs ESmACU campus. Weeds are taking overthe grass.The paint on the house is peeling offand the house itself looks as if the windcould blow it over. Toys are scatteredacross the yard unlike the yards whereother mothers make their childrenbring them in. Where are their parentsanyway? No one is at the door tellingthem to have a good time and tobehave.Five children come out of the house.It sure looks small to hold so manyy0VfiDCW&&aaHsHjBreaiM ? 1"aaBPnUC J"PT "'gQft-ga.j3ra- sNEVJ51TW Tffi MfcUNES MZEWRING YDWBER7ILPT5 TOQ3PEWTHSV0RTAGE.dQ iS r-r lTirThe ISCC proposals1. Requiring three hours of ISCC monitored study haleach week for social dub pledges2. Instituting ISCC-eponsored progress reports signedby professors and Instructors three weeks Into the thepledge period3. Raking the minimum grade point average (orpledging from 2 0 to 2 1 54 Preeentlng an award. In monetary or other form tothe pledge dees with tha highest average OPA.S. neetrictlng duba to onry three nights of pledge ac-tivity. Including dub meetinge and pledge dassmeetings with a warning from the dean for tha first of-fense and with tha pledges automatically becomingmembers on the second offense.8. Fining duba lor messy dub meeting rooms or dam-aged school property ISO for the first offense and$100 lor the second.Almost every club requirespledges to meet personally with themajority of club members during thepledge period. Many of th6 largerclubs expect pledges to visit 10 to 12members each week so they willmeet all the members by the end ofthe period.If the period were two weeks longsome pledges would be forced tovisit 30 members each week to meetall the members. Some argue thatpledges could meet members afterthey are declared members in twoweek's time. However no incentivewould then exist for new membersto personally meet with oldermembers.Finally social clubs may have atendency to schedule all of the cur-rent pledging activities during theshort two-week period a move thatcould be just as detrimental topledges' grades.For these reasons the ISCC isright to try to preserve the currentpledge period. But some of theirsuggestions may need to bestrengthened altered or droppedaltogether.The ISCC's suggested three hoursof required study hall is construc-tive providing the program is con"C '. 1-'AVJ.Tf lnr t 'people. Three of the children have onelast name and the other two have a dif-ferent one.The smiling children race to the bus.They are beautiful children but proba-bly not in some people's eyes.As the five step onto the bus an odorwafts through the air which thechildren will never notice. They are toohappy to see their friends on the bus.The clothes they have on are dirtyand don't quite fit. Their hair is un-brushed and their noses unwiped. Butthey act as if they haven't a care in theworld. The Joy Bus has come and theyare happy. They love the affection andattention of others. Maybe that is some-thing they don't get at home.What great attitudes these childrenhave. We worry about what we are go-ing to wear tomorrow when maybeV.VRoQfiMaiw.0?..GJSP-ducted in the Brown Library or theLearning Enhancement Center suchas the Athletic Department doeswith athletes. But the programshould not consist of crowding agroup of 50 to 100 pledges in aroom and telling them to study.Restricting organized pledging ac-tivities to three nights out of theweek also is a good idea. Howeverdevotionals and activities organizedby the club's pledge class should notbe included in the restriction.Monetary awards for the highestaverage pledge class GPA and finesfor messiness and damage to schoolproperty might be a small help.The ISCC's best idea is to raisethe minimum GPA of prospectivepledges. The council suggests rais-ing it from 2.0 to 2.15. Howeverbecause some students must main-tain a 2.5 to graduate the minimumGPA to pledge should be raised atleast to" 2.25 if not higher.The main problem with theISCC's list of suggestions is theprogress report system which wouldallow the deans to keep track of howthe pledges are doing in theirclasses.Not only does this ring of the pilesof paper generated by the highschool "No pass no play" rules butit also would place another burdenon the deans instructors and pro-fessors who already grow weary ofpledging.However if a system could be es-tablished so the instructors couldsignify a student's progress quicklyand easily the progress report pro-posal could work.The ISCC has made a strong at-tempt toward working out the pro-blems that concern the deans andthe administration should seriouslyconsider the proposals and leave thepledge period as it is.ff InrJSvftjgfcfi mMimtmm' m4i-(imM Mtnrt?.-.these children don't know where theirnext meal is coming from or who'stheir real daddy.We complain about our adviser notplacing us in the right class having toomuch homework and beingmisunderstood by our friends.What about the single mother who ismaking minimum wage at Pizza Hut orthe high school dropout? Why weren'twe put into similar situations?Why were we given parents who careenough to sacrifice in order to send usto college? We still complain. Maybewe don't appreciate what we have. Ormaybe we don't want to think aboutwhat others don't have.These children appreciate the littlethings in life that seem so trivial toothers. Riding the Joy Bus how funcould that be?Lemmonsbecomespioneerin faceof deathDeath is a cryptic enemy with noreal beginning or end. Death creeps attimes but is occasionally as furious as astorm. Yet Reucl Lemmons faced deathand won as many have and many will.In the Revelation to John we learn ofwhite robes victory crowns and whatit means to overcome death like BrotherLemmons. We also learn of thetremendous crowds that fight and battlealongside each of us against Satan andthe powers of this world.I 3S2K1Kevin Marshall mKnowing Reuel Lemmons is gonewill stir different feelings and emotionsin all of us. But knowing that now he isin a throng of allies beside us is a greatcomfort. He has his robe his crown; heovercame.Knowing he is in a better place is alsoconsoling because "we know that if theearthly tent which is our house is torndown we have a building from God ahouse not made with hands eternal inthe heavens" said Paul in 2 Corin-thians 5:1.Paul reassures the impatient thegrieving the rejoicing and the unknow-ing that God provides even in death.God is certainly providing BrotherLemmons with a more appropriatedwelling.So we see an irony in death: It is amystery yet we know many thingsabout it. Perhaps the most comfortingfeeling comes from knowing that othershave tasted death before us. That maybe death's most universal trait.Still we wonder why we must diewhy we must bear the pain and lossand why so many have gone before ashas Brother Lemmons. We wonderwhen it will end and death no longerwill reign over us. Oftentimes in thisconfusion we forget that someone hasalready overcome for all of us.Worthy is the Lamb because he waswithout sin and sacrificed. He tasteddeath like no one had before: Jesus isthe true pioneer.Jesus says John and the writer ofHebrews died once for all. He madedeath His servant and now death servesus too. God became just and theJustificr only through Christ justifyingall of us in Him.Jesus' death was both unique anduniversal and it has made all deathunique and universal. So BrotherLemmons has become a pioneer ofsorts like all of us may. Perhaps Godhas a desire for us to be pioneers sinceour confrontation with death is merelyanother step that will show us to be likeJesus.So though each one of us approachesdeath in the same way knowing andwondering the essential thing toremember is that death is available onlyto pioneers. Thanks Brother Lem-mons for showing us your victory.. .-V"-s - ""--! -Trtiaftjt00f)o( )o1o( ))n